Game apparatus



Dec. 3l, 1929.

A. CLARK l GAME APPARATUS mea Feb. 2. 192e IN/NT R m e Y ad@ s, M

ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 31, 1929` UNITED STATES ARTHUR L. CLARK, F MONTCLAIR, NEW JERSEY GAME APPARATUS Application led February 2,- 1928. Serial No. 251,250.

This invention relates to game apparatus and is concerned more particularly with an apparatus for playing a game in many respects resembling the game of golf.

The Winner in a golf match is decided either on'the basis of indivdual holes won, known as match play, or on the basis of the total number of strokes for the round, referred to as medal play, but in either casc the number of strokes used on each hole is the determining factor. Similarly, the excellence of thc play of an individual is determined by comparison of his stroke total with par,

which is an arbitrary score representing theoretically perfect Scores for each of the holes, determined in each instance by the length of the hole.

The game of this invention follows the scoring system used in golf and either match or medal play may be employed. As in golf, the players play in turn and at each turn one player manipulates the apparatus to determine his stroke total for the hole being played, the apparatus either directing that'the hole has been made in vpar or in a given nulnber of strokes over or under par. Beforethe n game commences, each player is provided with the usual golf score card which bears the numbers of the holes of the course on which play is considered to-take place, to-

v gether with par for each' hole and a space in which the stroke total may be set down. After his turn, the player then puts down the total for the hole as determined by the apparatus in the space corresponding to that hole. For example, par for the hole being played maybe 4 and the apparatus may indicat-e that the player has taken one stroke over par on the hole. In that event, the player sets down 5 in the space provided as his score. When each of the players has played the desired number of holes, comparison ofl the score cards is made and the Winner is decided on whatever basis is being used.

' Since at each turn at the apparatus a player ascertains his stroke total for a hole, yplay proceeds rapidly andany desired number of players mayuse the apparatus to play an ordinary round of 18 holes in a brief period of time.

'be made of sheet metal.

be'said to bear factors 'representing varia- .In its preferred form, the apparatus includes a chart on which'appears indicia, designated Par, or factors which represent a variation from par.y With this chart is associafeda member which is set in motion by the player and comes to rest at random, in which position it selects one of the indicia for the player and thus on reference to the score1 card, the player may determine the number of strokes which he has taken on the hole being played. Preferably, the chart is of cir. cular form and provided with radial vlines which define segments, each of which bears one of the indicia. The member may then conveniently take the form 'of a needle piv- 65 oted at the center of the chart and capable of being spun on its pivot by the player to come to rest over one of the segments of the chart. The inscription on the segment thus determined sets forth the stroke total of the player and the segments may be also suitably inscribed to indicate how strokes'have been lost by reason of penalties, hazards, etc. 4

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be hadto the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. l is a sectional view through the preferred form of the apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a plan View; and v Figs. 3 and 4 are sectional and fragmentary 80 planyiews respectively of a modified form of the apparatus.

Referring to the drawings, the apparatus is illustrated as consisting of a. chart l0 which may be conveniently inscribed on the face of S5 a disc 1l, the periphery of which may be provided with an upstanding flange 19. with a turned in edge 13. The disc may, if desired, The chart includes a plurality of segments printed or otherwise 99 inscribed on the face of the disc. these segments bearing suitable indicia designatinpr the manner in which a hole has been played and the number of strokes taken. Preferablyv there are 18 segments constituting the chart 95 and certain of the segments are designated Par, while the remaining segments are designated as varying numbers of strokes under or overV par. The segments may accordingly l o tions from par, the inscription Par on cer--` tain segments as that marked 14, representing a zero vairation. Each of the segments, such 'other of thc-needles is selected by the players before the gaine is started as being the one to designate the controlling indicia.

In starting the game, each player is pro-v vided with a score card of standard type,

. l which may be one used on some golf4 course with which the players are familiar, or else may be arbitrarily selected. Each player then takes his turn at the apparatus and spins' .the spinner on its pivot.. After a few turns the spinner comes to rest and the needle which hasbeen selected as controlling then selects y the segment which determines the players score for the hole being played. For example, if the hole in question'is7par 4, then a player using the long needle of the apparatus .as shown in Fig. 2, will havea score for the hole o f 7, as. the segment selected bears the in- `scription 3 overv par. The explanation of the sc ore is stated on'the segment to be due to the fact that the .players ball was in a lake and in a trap. If the short needle were the one c0ntrolling,.the player would have a par stroke for the hole, the designation Par von the segment indicating that the playersscore has not varied `from the theoretically perfect score for the hole.

The players take turns at the apparatus and in a round of 1'8 holes, each-player operates the apparatus 18 times. As each operation consumes only a few seconds the game may be played simultaneously by a number of players and an 18 hole round takes only a short time. After the round is completed,

scores are compared and the winner determined in the usual manner employed, depending on whether match or medal play has been chosen. In a modified form of the` apparatus shown in Figs. 3 and 4, a circular base member 19 is employed having a downwardly sloping top wall 20 on which may be placed the chart 10. This base member may be made of a block of `wood or any convenient material. Itis illus-- trated as inade of sheet metal and the overhanging top wall 2O is cut away -to leave a central opening 21 into which projects an upright pinv 22 attached to the base member. Mounted on a sleeve 23 which is freely movable on the upper end. of the pin is a disc 24 which has a generally conical top surface. The disc 24 has a diameter slightly less than 5 that of the opening 21, so that the disc is freely movable on the in, and the eriphery of the disc is in substgntially the Iplane of the inner edge of the wall 20.

The disc is provided with a oove 25 near its periphery which is forme with a series of spaced depressions `26and`a ball or marble is used as the indicating means. There are as many depressions 26 as there are segments in the chart and when a player is to take his turn, he places the ball in the groove and gives the disc a spin. The ball rolls clear of the groove and may run up the surface of the disc or of the wall 20, eventually dropping into a depression 26 and coming to rest with the disc opposite a segment on the chart thus determining the players stroke total for which would then bear the indicia of the chart l being indicated by the vlines 27. The use of the apparatus in this form is as before described.

It will beseen that the game apparatus of this invention is of simple construction and it affords means for playing a game which approaches the game of golf closely, in that the same scoring system 1s employed The 18 'segments of the chart ma bear varying inseriptions as desired, but t` e chart illustrated contains 9 segments designatedtlar and the remaining segments represent variations from par. It has been found by experiment that a chart somade up will produce a score closely approximating the score of a player of average skill, but a chart having a greater or less number of segments .designated Par may be employed by playerswhose skill is par, and a member having a portion movable over the chart b v the player and coming to rest at random and designating by itsposition one of said spaces, the indicia-hearing space designatedby the member in its position of rest determining whether the players score on the hole beingplayed is par or a variation therefrom.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature.

ARTHUR 1.."oLARK, 

